


Blood On My Hands (Beast In My Heart)

by baloobird, Buckets_Of_Stars



Series: This World Is A Jungle [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Animals, Animal Instincts, Animal Traits, Anthropomorphic, Anti-Starker, Awesome Michelle Jones, BAMF Tony Stark, Bigotry & Prejudice, Bullying, Co-Written, Complete, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Epic Friendship, Family Feels, Feral Behavior, Field Trip, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Inspired by Zootopia (2016), May Parker (Spider-Man) & Tony Stark Coparenting Peter Parker, Mentioned May Parker (Spider-Man), Michelle Jones Is a Good Bro, Michelle Jones is a Little Shit, Mild Blood, Minor Injuries, Ned Leeds is a Good Bro, One Shot, Pack Dynamics, Pack Family, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker isn't Spider-Man, Precious Peter Parker, Predator/Prey, Protective Ned Leeds, Protective Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Scared Peter Parker, Talking Animals, Tiger Peter Parker, Tiger Tony Stark, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark is a Good Dad, parental instincts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-26
Updated: 2020-02-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:15:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22905328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baloobird/pseuds/baloobird, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Buckets_Of_Stars/pseuds/Buckets_Of_Stars
Summary: Peter Parker’s a tiger and a predator and he’s always been pretty comfortable with that. He knows the basics of his ancestors’ pasts, the way they would eat and kill prey for food and to survive. He’s made peace with it, the savageness of the Old Ways and the fact that society has changed for the better.Besides, it’s not like he could ever go savage.Right?One field trip almost tips the balance on his life Peter has in place and it’s up to Tony to put his weight in, even out the scales.And Tony’s always been good at settling the odds. Especially when it comes to his cub.
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Michelle Jones & Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Flash Thompson, Peter Parker & Michelle Jones, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: This World Is A Jungle [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1654177
Comments: 59
Kudos: 276





	Blood On My Hands (Beast In My Heart)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys!! So this started out as a text message conversation with us screaming at each other, so we decided to turn it into a fic! We had an absolute blast with this, we hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did writing it 💖
> 
> The cast and their animal counterparts can be found in our end notes.
> 
> Disclaimer: We do not own Spider-Man, Zootopia, or any related materials.

* * *

Peter’s on a field trip and he honestly, one hundred percent, cannot be more excited. 

More specifically, he’s sitting on the smelly bus that’s going to take them on said field trip, but let’s not get too caught up on the details.

What’s better than packing a lunch, going out in neat, filled lines and not attending classes?

Nothing at all.

And no matter where they’re going, no kid will ever complain about getting out of school for a whole day, even if it’s to a boring museum. 

The young tiger is sitting next to the window, mindlessly staring at the passing cars and buildings, with Ned right next to him. The scents of excitement and anticipation fill the air and Peter gathers a lung-full, nearly wiggling in elation.

Suddenly he feels his phone vibrate with an incoming text and his glee grows. Peter, after glancing around, sneakily fishes the electronic out of his jeans pocket and smiles at seeing a message from Tony.

**Dad: Pizza tonight still sound good, bud?**

The cub grins in excitement, tail flicking against his leg as he brings his feet up, resting them against the side of the wall.

 _The usual?_ He texted back, gaze flicking up, relieved when he sees that Mr. Harrington is still none-the-wiser, and continues breaking the rule of no messing with phones on the bus. 

His dad replies a few moments later. **Pineapple it is.**

 _No! You monster!_ 🙃🙃🙃

**Dad: 😈**

Peter smiles despite himself, glancing out the window for a second before another buzz from his phone catches his attention and the cub has to bite his lip to keep from snorting. 

**Dad:** **Eh,** **Monster, Dad, same thing. But seriously, have fun today, kiddo. Did you grab your lunch?**

_Duh! You and May would kill me if I didn’t._

**Dad: You know us so well.**

_Whatever you say, old man._ Peter laughs quietly, ducking down behind the seat when he sees Mr. Harrington glance over. _I’ve got to go now, though, I don't want to get caught._

**Dad: I’ll leave you in peace. Be safe, Pete and please, stay out of trouble for once.**

_No promises!_ 😇

Slipping his phone back into his pocket, Peter settles further into the seat, his chest blooming with love as his gaze catches on the scenery outside, the sun glistening off the buildings.

He really does have the best Dad.

“Peter--” Blinking, the young tiger looks up to see Ned reaching out, one paw held up. “--Earth to Peter. Are you there?”

Peter shakes his head, getting his mind out of his stupor. His whiskers twitch as he smiles. “Yeah, yeah, um, what’s up?”

Ned laughs. _“You,_ apparently, dude. Did you hear a word that I just said?”

“Uh, yeah of course I did!” Peter feels a blush rise to his face, and he’s suddenly extremely grateful for the excess fur covering his cheeks. “I did!”

“Oh, really?” The bear cub grins, playfully poking Peter with a dull claw. “What did I say, then?”

“Um...Star Wars is cool?”

“I mean, you’re not wrong. . .” Ned shakes his head, ears pulling back slightly as his eyes widen. “But no! Oh my God, you can’t even lie right, dude.”

Peter’s tail flicks, hitting against his leg and he frowns. “Oh, shut up. Then what did you say, ‘O Great One’?”

“What’re we calling Nedward now?” MJ, seated behind them, manages to pull her snout from her book long enough to shoot them a glare. “Last I checked, that title should go to me.”

Ned snorts. “Yeah, sure, MJ. But no, okay, Pete, listen to me.”

“For God’s sakes, what?”

“You’re still coming to my house tomorrow, right? Our usual Saturday thing?”

MJ snickers. “You guys have a ‘thing’? What the hell even is that?”

Peter rolls his eyes, ignoring the calf, _“That_ was the big build-up? Why didn’t you just say that? Of course we’re hanging out.”

Ned’s eyes widen, “I _did,_ it’s not my fault you’re off in ‘La La Land.’”

“Excuse me, it’s called ‘genius thinking land,’ thank you very much.”

“Sounds like ‘loser land’ to me,” MJ says, but when Peter glances back at the zebra, her smile is slightly hidden behind her pages. “So don’t invite me, then.”

“Aw. Does little Penis have a party or something?”

At the sound of Flash’s shrill voice, Peter pulls his ears back, feeling Ned stiffen next to him as the bear cub shifts on the seat. Sitting up, Peter eyes Flash as the brown ferret makes his way from the front, ignoring the warning their teacher gave earlier about moving while the bus is in motion. 

The bully strides to the seat in front of the two geniuses-to-be, plopping down with a rough sigh. His lips are curled, small fangs on display as he sneers, looking smug.

Ned’s eyes narrow at the annoying ferret, “Yeah, and you’re definitely not invited.”

“Why would I wanna go anyway? _My_ parents throw the biggest and best parties around. All my friends wouldn’t even be able to fit in that small ass shack of yours, Penis.”

Peter gives him an unimpressed look, stroking his whiskers. “Wow, whoop-dee-shit, you’re _sooo_ much cooler than us.”

Claws curling, Flash leans forward, his nose twitching. Before he has a chance to snarl something in return, however, the bus comes to a sudden halt. Eyes flashing, the ferret stalks back up to the front, tail snapping behind him.

Mr. Harrington’s voice can be heard, something about gathering their belongings and not leaving the bus until the doors open, but Peter is too caught up in his sudden excitement to really care. 

Flash fades from his mind and the young tiger quickly pushes the resulting anger away as well, not wanting anything to spoil the fun that awaits.

“What’re we going to do, jump out the windows?” Ned mutters as they stand, shoulders bumping. 

“We could always just, I don’t know, push Flash out.” 

Ned barks out a laugh. “He _is_ a ferret, so it wouldn’t be hard.”

MJ chimes in as they step out of the bus, Peter holding a paw up to shield his eyes from the mid-morning glare. “I’m in, I’ll keep lookout. How long is this trip, anyway?” 

Ned glances at his watch, stepping to the side to allow a group of cheetahs to pass. “Few hours, I guess. I don’t care, as long as it gets me out of physics.”

“I thought you like physics?” Peter asks.

“Well duh, but I _don’t_ like homework.”

“Alright, alright, listen up, kiddos!” Mr. Harrington holds up his flipper, effectively silencing his class after a few lagging seconds. “We are about to enter the Museum of Animal History. As you know, this is a _family-friendly establishment,_ so there will be no, and I repeat, _no_ horse-playing, throwing food, chewing gum, or being annoying.” 

“I guess Flash has to leave then.” MJ mutters and both Peter and Ned snort. 

* * *

And so, the tour begins. 

The class walks through the double doors of the museum that act as a temporary time machine, going back as far as the prehistoric times of their world up to present-day. The hallway lights up, an almost blinding green that soon fades into a soft orange and blistering red, signaling the quote-on-quote “time travel.”

The students are ushered into the first room and gawk at the walls surrounding them, all covered with paint of various browns and blacks to give the illusion of being in a cave. 

Pictures, drawings, and slideshows tell the story of how Manehattan came to be. The scents of fresh rain water, earthy and damp, envelopes the students and Peter has to sniff to keep from sneezing. 

Every wall is loaded with interesting and interactive displays and Peter, with Ned and MJ right beside, is quickly drawn to a small, flashing screen, the animated bones of a pre-Evolved mouse dancing from one side to the next. 

A voice unexpectedly appears over the loudspeakers in the corners of the room, one that could mimic the narrator of an infomercial.

 _“Thousands of years ago, the norm for most species consisted of living in caves, holes, trees. Nothing like the type of homes we see today…”_

The three teenagers then tune it out and focus on the pictures instead, occasionally reading a blurb that looks mildly interesting. 

Peter is mostly bored reading about stuff he already at least somewhat knows but about midway through, he comes across a section that makes his tail twitch and he feels his ears draw up in interest. 

_Predators: More Naughty Than Nice?_

The teen knows that his history wasn’t all rainbows and lollipops - tigers _are_ predators, after all - but that doesn’t mean he likes thinking about it either. And why does this place have to have a picture of a tiger of all things?

The pre-Evolved beast is on all fours, mouth open in a toothy snarl, amber eyes blazing as it’s claws seem to reach out, brushing against the glass of it’s display case. 

Was that really necessary?

If he squints hard enough, it almost looks alive still. Like it’s breathing. The thought causes the fur on Peter’s haunches to rise and the young tiger blinks, forcing it to lie flat once more.

His and Ned exchange a glance, the bear cub’s brown eyes flashing in understanding and Peter allows his best friend to gently steer them away from the awful display.

Peter unconsciously grabs the tip of his tail and keeps it in a soft grip, using it as a sort of comfort as the cub follows Ned and MJ, hoping they can just skip through this segment as soon as possible. 

That display of the tiger then follows up with one of a bear, showing all its teeth submerged into a zebra, claws red with blood and muzzle stained. 

Ned shudders at looking at what would be his ancestor, almost positive that his fur is sticking straight up. Peter gently rests a supportive hand on his best friend’s shoulder, feeling Ned lean against him slightly. 

“Sorry, MJ.” Ned mutters, looking anywhere but directly at his friend.

Said Zebra calf shrugs, unconcerned. “Eh, at least I know _you_ can’t hurt a fly.”

Ned looks like he wants to argue, his face changing from grateful to offend and then to full-on confused. Peter bites his lip to keep from giggling, his whiskers twitching in barely held back mirth.

Finally, the bear cub manages to squeak out “But man, flies are tasty” that has all three of them bursting into laughter.

They settle down a little when Mr. Harrington barks at them from his place near the water fountain, pushing his glasses further up his snout.

Peter looks at his friends, feeling his stomach suddenly churn in nerves as they slowly continue through the museum, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

 _How are they so cool about this?_ He thinks, his grip on his tail-tip tightening slightly. _If the world never evolved, that’s exactly how they’d still be living--how we all would still be living. . ._

As _savages._

The three teens soon come across some kind of screen with a button below that says “press here.” 

MJ obliges and a video starts playing, complete with the sound of a similarly voiced narrator. Ned groans and MJ elbows him with a hoof, the bear cub snorting in pain before the calf shushes him once more.

_“It is hard to believe, but once upon a time, this was a reality. The world was divided in two: prey were scared of predators, and predators...they had an uncontrollable urge to kill, relying on the meat of their prey for survival.”_

Peter leans towards his friends, swallowing. “Do we really have to watch this?”

That annoyingly shrill voice from earlier suddenly speaks up, snug as ever. “What, are you scared, Penis?”

All three kids flinch at that and turn to see Flash, along with a couple of his lemur goons, standing behind them.

“Shouldn’t _I_ be the one that’s scared? I mean, _you’re_ the real predator here, after all.” The ferret continues when they just stare at him, the bored voice of the narrator fading to the background. “I mean, for all I know, you could be one hair-length away from snatching me up for dinner, Penis.”

Ned’s whiskers quiver in annoyance, fangs flashing. “Shut up, Flash, he’s not bothering you.”

The bully sneers, tail curling around his leg. “Wow, you’re so _scary,_ Pooh Bear. What’re you gonna do? _Eat me?”_

MJ’s ears pull back in anger and she takes a small step closer. “Back off! That shit ain’t funny.”

Flash squirms, feigning innocence, “Oh, did I strike a nerve? I’m just telling the truth. Who knows when predators will revert back to their savage selves.” 

“I--”

He turns to the tiger cub, effectively cutting Peter off and smiles menacingly, “It’s only a matter of time before Penis will eat you for breakfast, lunch, _and_ din--”

Peter, finally finding his voice again, takes a step closer to Flash, bearing his teeth in anger. He lets go of his twitching tail, letting it fall back against his side as he growls. “Fuck off, Flash. Fuck. Off.”

The ferret kit scoffs. “Are _you_ gonna eat me, then?”

Peter ignores the way his stomach goes cold. “Well, I’ve always heard rodents taste delicious.”

Flash gives an unamused laugh, snout curling. “Then don’t be a little bitch, Parker, and do it--”

The students are then cut off from the seal that is their teacher as he approaches. Mr. Harrington, after finally squeezing through the impressive crowd that had gathered around the young animals, shoves in-between Flash and Peter, his voice firm.

“Is there a problem here, hmm? Mr. Parker? Mr. Thompson?”

Peter steps back, taking a few deep breaths to calm down. Ned and MJ are immediately beside him, the feeling of their familiar fur and scents helping to ease the anxiety crawling through his hair.

Flash immediately covers, “N-No, sir. I just uh, I thought Parker dropped his phone, that’s all.”

The young genius confirms the lie reluctantly. “Yeah...that’s all.”

Mr. Harrington looks back and forth between the two of them, face obviously showing that he doesn’t believe them. His eyes are narrowed behind his glasses and Peter nearly flinches at his harsh stare. 

“And it will _stay_ that way, correct?” He finally asks.

The teens in question both mutter, “Yes, sir” but don’t mean it in the slightest.

“Good.” The teacher turns the scattered class as a whole, holding up a flipper, “Just a few more minutes in here, children, then we’ll be moving on.” 

The class mumbles affirmatives and continues the tour, sneaking glances back at the group every few seconds. Peter tries to not shrink under their stares.

Flash gives the three of them a smug look. Before he walks fully away, however, he turns back to Peter, “Maybe you’ll eat me next time. You can test out on MJ first, though, make sure those teeth of yours aren’t as soft as your nerves.”

Peter starts to charge at the bully, a growl rumbling his chest, but Ned holds him back. “He’s not worth it, dude, don’t bother.”

Peter reluctantly nods, feeling his growl turn softer, into what he would almost call a whine if not for the fact that he has too much pride for that. Reaching behind him, the teenager flicks his tail out of the way, pulling his phone from his pocket and turning it on.

He softens as he looks down at his lock screen, at the selfie of him, Tony, and May from his science fair last month. Seeing them all laughing and smiling makes his current self grin like an idiot and slowly, the anger from a few minutes ago starts to ebb away. 

The young tiger wants to text Tony, to read words of encouragement from his dad that will maybe, just _maybe,_ get him through the rest of this polarizing field trip.

His heart aches for it. 

But then he hears the footsteps of his class moving on to the next exhibit and, not wanting Mr. Harrington to catch him breaking the “no phones” rule, the teenager reluctantly puts the electronic back into his pocket before power-walking to catch up with his friends.

The field trip continues in a bit of a blur, all of the students being force-fed so much information that no one on earth could possibly retain it all. 

Then Mr. Harrington makes an announcement that his kids can most definitely remember. 

It’s lunchtime.

_Thank the Lord._

In seconds, the food court is flooded with hungry animals, the scents of different cuisines making their stomachs rumble. 

Peter scoots in line behind Ned and MJ, grabbing a container of apple juice. He’s suddenly extremely grateful he has Tony’s specially prepared lunch when he catches sight of the slightly watery mac-n-cheese his friend orders. 

Everyone settles down at various tables and unfortunately, there’s no room for the three teenagers to sit. The party, after double checking with their teacher and getting a half-hearted “okay, just don’t run off,” moves outside and sits at one of the picnic tables. 

Then they dig in and the next few minutes are spent making idle small talk, all three perfectly content.

That is, until that same damn ferret busts open the museum door, making the other animals flinch at the noise. 

“Hey, Parker!” Flash shouts, face red underneath his fur. “You and your little circus need to skedaddle on down to the next peanut fair.”

Peter frowns, setting down his tuna sandwich. “What--?”

“You’re in my spot, dumbass.” Flash snarls. “First, you humiliate me and now you steal my eating spot--”

MJ tosses her apple into the trash can, barely managing to not hit Flash across the nose. “Actually, you slinky idiot, it’s not _your_ anything. Go find some other animals to boss around.”

Ned nods from his place closest to the door, pushing himself up to his full height. “You heard her, scram.”

Flash, despite his sniveling words and demeanor, does seem at least a little bit intimidated by the sight of such a large predator looming over him and takes a few steps back. He shakes himself off, however, his cocky grin returning after a second.

“Don’t miss me too much, oddballs.” He sneers, turning back toward the door. “Oh, and Penis?”

Peter scowls, shifting on his haunches. “We don’t want to talk to you.”

The ferret smirks. “Just let me know if cats really do always land on their feet, hm?”

That’s all Peter has as a warning before Flash slinks over, pushing his long tail under the tiger cub’s foot. Peter yelps as he slips backwards, feeling the harsh cement dig into his pads as he attempts to break his fall. 

Peter’s ears ring, the whole world seeming to shift underneath him as he pulls himself back up, feeling both Ned’s and MJ’s paws grip his arms. Flash, when Peter finally manages to clear his head a bit, is still standing there, looking as happy as a ferret can be. 

“Well, that was fun!” He grins, teeth flashing in the sunlight. “Might want to get those paws looked at though, Parker. Blood isn’t a very good look for you, after all.” 

Before Peter can even start to fully register the panic those words cause, Flash makes one last jab, snapping his jaw toward a wide-eyed Ned and the tiger cub can’t stop the snarl that finally curls his lips.

A growl, deeper than he has ever made before, springs from his chest and Flash actually flinches, fur standing on-end. The ferret’s dark eyes are wide in fear as he scurries off without another word, and Peter clenches his fingers, the sudden jolt of his own claws digging into his skin causing him to gasp.

 _Oh, no._

_Oh, God, please no._

Stumbling to his feet, Peter races towards the opposite door, ignoring the worried voices of both Ned and MJ shouting after him, his only thought being to get away.

Get away because he’s dangerous.

Get away because he’s unpredictable.

Get away because he’s _savage._

Peter bursts through the doors, feeling his cheeks heat up in shame as dozens of eyes stare at him in surprise. He spots a sign in the corner of the food court that leads to the bathrooms and he follows it. 

Whether he’s running or wobbling or both, he hasn’t a clue.

The cub must be wobbling because he has to rest a paw against the wall to keep his balance steady. As he moves, that paw moves with him, and he gasps at the blood that’s in its wake, at the smear of bright red against the white tile.

After a million years, he reaches the bathroom, rushing to the nearest sink and leaning his full weight against it. 

Peter takes a few deep, panicky breaths as he tries to collect himself, resisting the urge to look in the mirror in front of him. He turns on the faucet with the intention of splashing water in his face but winces at the unexpected sting. 

He finally sees, finally allows himself to fully look at, the light tinge of red swirling down the drain and his eyes narrow in confusion. 

He turns his paws around to see the underside of them and gasps at the blood that’s on them.

Oh. . . right.

_The blood._

The blood from his scuffle with Flash, the blood on the wall, in the sink, in his fur, under his claws.

The evidence of his anger.The anger that he couldn’t control. His _bloodlust._

Just like in those pictures at the predator display.

Peter’s heart starts to race and he stumbles back a few steps, gaze glued to his blood-drenched paws. He thinks back to those words Flash said while they were in that exhibit.

_“Who knows when predators will revert back to their savage selves.”_

It happened. . .Why else would Peter snarl like that except to do what his species was bred to do?

Hunt their prey. Rely on their prey for survival.

The cub feels his paws start to shake and he clenches them into fists, not wanting to look at what he’s done. What will Dad and Aunt May think, knowing what he’s turning into. How can they love someone who’s nothing but a terrifying predator?

Peter’s vision starts to blur with tears, feeling them roll down his cheeks and not having a care to stop them. He sobs suddenly, the sound hollow both in his chest and in the silence of the bathroom.

He then starts thinking about his guardians, of how Tony and May will react, of how he wants to see them one last time before he. . .reverts.

At that, he quickly gets out his phone, using one paw to rub his still crying eyes so he can see clearly, and scrolls for his dad’s contact name. Once the older tiger’s name is found, the boy taps on it and brings it to his ear, praying for him to answer.

_C’mon, c’mon._

Tony picks up on the third ring, “Hey, kiddo, can I call you back later, I’m in the middle of something - hey, wait, aren’t you on a field trip right now?”

Peter leans back against the opposite wall and slides down until he’s sitting on the dingy tile floor, trying and failing to keep his breathing under control. He takes a deep breath, trying in vain to keep his cries inside, to not let them escape as he clenches his jaw once, before forcefully relaxing.

He speaks slowly, barely keeping from stuttering. “Sorry, sorry, sorry, I’m sorry, I-I didn’t mean to -”

Tony’s voice changes in an instant, now deadly serious and filled with barely hidden worry and slight panic. “Whoa, kid! What the hell? What’s wrong?”

Peter immediately tenses, because _fuck,_ he didn’t prepare himself to actually say what’s wrong, “Um...just miss you, um, that’s all.” 

He hypothetically facepalms, there’s no way Tony’s going to believe him.

That thought is proven true when the older tiger replies, voice a rumble even through the phone’s speaker. “Yeah, and I’m a giraffe in disguise. Seriously, buddy, what’s up? Did the class leave you at the museum or something?”

_Oh my God, I wish._

“Um…” The cub curls more into himself, praying that no one will walk in anytime soon. He takes another deep breath, mentally and physically preparing himself and comes out with it: “I...I just wanna tell you goodbye.”

The teen can tell that his father is worried from how firm his voice gets, how Peter can literally _feel_ the way Tony’s claws have started to poke through his carefully sheathed paws, his instincts rising. 

_“Goodbye?_ Peter, you’re scaring me, what the hell happened? _Are you okay?”_

More tears flow down the young tiger’s cheeks, “I wanted to say goodbye before uh...before I...before I go savage...it’s gonna happen and I don’t know what to do and -”

Tony cuts him off, the small second of silence allowing Peter to barely make out the all too familiar sounds of the IronTiger blasters in the background. 

Peter knows he should be embarrassed, that he should tell Tony to turn around and go home and not be bothered by him, but some small part of himself, one that the cub tried to push away, grows and that’s the need for his dad.

His instincts nearly take over and he has to bite his tongue to hold in a whine of fear. 

The billionaire, apparently sensing Peter turmoil through the phone, continues, his voice soft so to hopefully keep his son calm.

“Hey, Pete, I want you to stay right there, okay? I’ll be there in a few minutes and we’re gonna talk this out, but get one thing through that thick skull of yours: You are not going _savage._ And you never will, okay? Trust me on that.”

Peter squeaks out, both in fear and humiliation, “You promise?”

“I _doubly_ promise, bubba. Just sit tight for a couple minutes, can you do that for me?”

The cub nods, momentarily forgetting that his dad can’t see him. Clearing his throat, Peter answers with a small “Okay,” cringing at the way his voice cracks.

So he does as his dad says. He sits in that same spot on the floor, damn near hugging the wall at this point. Tears begin falling from his eyes again, silent ones this time, his whole body shaking. He grabs his tail, but drops it when he feels his claws catch against the sensitive orange fur.

He cries harder.

The young tiger barely notices his friends walking in but once he sees them, his heart flutters with a small stroke of happiness, as well as a tiny ball of guilt.

_What a friend he is. Making them sit in the dirty bathroom with him. Pathetic._

Both Ned and MJ smile at him as they sit on the floor, and Peter feels his guilt ease just a bit. Wagely, Peter can hear their reassurances, encouragement, and redemptions of “Flash is so dead” but he doesn’t have the strength to respond, too worked up about becoming an actual predator to register what they’re saying.

Then he hears it...those IronTiger blasters that Peter knows so, so well.

His Dad is here.

Seconds after that sound is heard, the cub hears the bathroom door burst open once again, flooding the room in a shock of white, fluorescent light. 

Blinking, Peter feels a whine build up in his chest as Tony steps into the room, the genius disassembling the suit with each clanking step. 

“ _Woah--"_ Ned breathes next to him, with MJ echoing the bear cub’s statement but Peter ignores them, too caught up in the pure relief fizzling through his veins. 

Tony has barely gotten the chest plate off before Peter is weakly rising and stumbling the last few steps, burying his tear-stained muzzle against his father’s soft chest fur. The cub finally sobs openly, feeling Tony’s strong arms wrap around him, the billionaire’s heartbeat thumping against Peter’s ear like a soothing drum.

“Oh, _buddy.”_ Tony’s voice is a soft growl, the feeling of his paw against Peter’s cheek causing the tiger cub to weakly lift his head, looking upward. His Dad’s smile is slightly sad. “What’s got my cub so worked up, hm?”

“Nothing! Nothing, just--” Peter rests his head back onto his father’s chest, face heating in shame. He keeps his gaze on the floor, his sneakers squeaking against the tile. “I’m glad I can tell you goodbye in person.”

 _“Peter,”_ the mechanic lifts his cub’s head, making the tyke look back at him, doe eyes wide. “What did I just tell you over the phone, you’re _not_ gonna go savage, kiddie -”

“Yeah, I will!” The teen lifts his paws and meekly shows them to his hero. He murmurs, “I’m a-a monster.”

Tony gingerly grabs one of his kid’s little paws and takes a good look at it, brushing over a scrape. Peter flinches, and Tony gently shushes him, resisting the urge to carefully clean the wound. 

_Later._ Peter knows Tony thinks, watching as his father’s eyes flicker over to Ned and MJ for a split second. _Later._

The father feels a protective growl rising in his throat but he swallows it down with carefully maintained restraint, flexing his free paw to push his claws back in. The fur along his back is rising, reacting to the scent of blood and of his cub’s pain and fear and Tony knows that if he could, he would go feral with protective rage.

But he can’t. 

Instead, the older tiger says, voice deep and gravely against his throat, “Who the hell gave you that?”

Ned answers for his friend, pulling himself up from the wall and reaching down to help MJ up as well, ignoring the way the young zebra rolls her eyes. “Flash tripped him. This whole mess is because he was just protecting me.”

Tony’s eyes are etched in confusion as he glances at the bear cub, “What the hell is a ‘flash’?”

MJ answers, ear flicking “This weasel that’s in our class.”

Ned clarifies, holding up a large paw. “He’s actually a ferret.”

The zebra confirms, grabbing Ned’s arm and steering him toward the door. “An _asshole_ of a ferret. He kept telling Peter how horrible he was, how he was going to _eat him_ and bullshit like that. It’s stupid.” She pauses, suddenly looking down as her watch beeps. “We had better be going actually, wouldn’t want Mr. Harrington to blow a gasket.”

Tony waves them off, tugging Peter closer with his other hand. “Yes, yes. Thank you both, by the way. You’re really, uh, really good friends, for-for Peter.”

Ned grins and Peter can’t help but smile back, just a little. “Thanks, Mr. Stark.”

MJ echos her friend’s sediment and, with one more backwards glance, the other two animals leave. It’s quiet for a few seconds after that, Tony’s gaze going back to his miserable cub. 

Humming under his breath, Tony lovingly strokes one of the boy’s fluffy ears, knowing just the right sweet spot to make him relax with comfort. Waiting until Peter is a bit less tense, Tony clears his throat.

“So...none of this was actually your fault.”

Peter’s gaze goes back down to the floor. His tail droops in exhaustion and embarrassment. “Yeah, it was.”

“How? Sounds like it was self defense to me.” The genius gestures to the teen’s wounded paws, eyes lighting up in fury once more. “And rightfully so. That little-little _prick_ hurt you--”

Peter frowns, cutting his father off. “But-But I, I snarled at him, Dad! I never do that, why did I do that--?”

“Because you were protecting your friend, that has nothing to do with going savage. Did that ‘Flash’ weasel try to make it seem like you were?”

Peter shrugs. “He just says stuff, he always says stuff, it’s not a big deal, it’s just stupid.”

“It’s not stupid!” Tony snarls, the words of anger more directed at Flash than anyone. Gathering himself once more, the tiger presses the next words against his son’s forehead, needing the cub to understand. “ _He hurt you._ He made you bleed and have a-a fucking panic attack in the bathroom, Peter. That is _never_ not a big deal, baby, not to me.” 

Peter blinks away more tears, both hearing and feeling the purr that rumbles through his dad’s chest. He nuzzles closer, Tony’s tail sweeping up and wrapping around Peter, the gentle swipe of his tongue against Peter’s ear causing the cub to let out a purr of his own, as weak as it is.

They stay like that for a few minutes, just calming down and breathing, the tyke taking in the scent of his dad, of his safety and love. 

God, he doesn’t want this moment to end. He doesn’t want to go back out there and face the confused and judgmental eyes of his peers, the pitied ones of his friends.

He just wants to go home with his dad, curl up with him and May on the couch and watch movies and eat so much popcorn he feels like he might get sick.

Tony speaks suddenly, still gripping tightly onto his kid, “Let’s blow this joint, what d’ya say, bubba?”

Peter blinks up at him, face etched in both confusion and poorly hidden relief, “But...but what about the field trip--?”

“It’s about over anyway, and you look like you need a cat nap, cub. So, wanna get outta here?”

The kid gives him a heartfelt smile, one of his first all day, his chest blooming with love, “Yes please! But, uh, don’t be surprised if I fall asleep on the way there.”

Tony laughs, already beginning to steer them both toward the door, his protective grip never wavering. “You look like you’re about to fall asleep where you’re standing. Plus, you can use me as a pillow, so it’s a win-win.”

Peter pretends to contemplate this, barely holding back a giggle. “I mean, you _are_ fluffy.”

“D-Did you just call me _fat?”_ Tony mock gasps. “I’m offended.”

“No, no, Dad, I called you fluffy. There’s a difference.” 

Tony playfully pokes Peter in the ribs, causing the teen to let out a laugh, batting his father’s paws away. They play-fight for a few more seconds before Tony lets out a sigh, gathering his son back into his arms when Peter’s jaws open wide in a loud yawn. 

His cub blinks up at him, eyes so trusting it takes the billionaire’s breath away for a second.

“Alright, let’s go, buddy.” Tony finally whispers, pressing one last kiss to Peter’s forehead. “Time for a certain kid to get his beauty sleep.”

The billionaire gets into his IronTiger gear, everything fastening with their satisfying clicks and whooshes. He then walks Peter out the bathroom and out the back way to the museum, thus avoiding the rest of the class. 

Once outside, the genius picks up his kid and takes off, holding onto him with both arms while said kid has his own arms wrapped around his dad, feeling the wind blow through his fur as the hero takes him to freedom.

Peter cuddles closer, knowing now more than ever, that he’s not going savage.

And that, most of all, everything is alright.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Kudos make our day and comments fuel our writing! :D
> 
> CAST:  
> Tony: Adult Tiger  
> Peter: Tiger Cub  
> Ned: Bear Cub  
> MJ: Zebra Calf  
> Flash: Ferret Kit  
> May: Adult Otter  
> Mr. Harrington: Adult Seal


End file.
